Danville Fire Chief Don McMasters is calling for common sense this Fourth of July. He says when it comes to families, and especially children, who want to add some light and sound to their 4th of July celebrations, PLEASE stick to what’s legal.
AUDIO: Things that you can buy at your average dollar store; that are the sparklers and the things that you throw down and they snap and pop. Those are what’s legal in Illinois.
When it comes to the big time fireworks, Chief McMasters says, leave it to the experts. After all, THEY KNOW.
AUDIO: There’s a reason why professionals have to take extensive amounts of training, and get certified and licensed. They know what they’re doing. It’s very dangerous for someone who does not. Regardless of what anybody tells you; that they think they know what they’re doing. No, they don’t.
McMasters says last year an abandoned house burned down because of nearby illegal fireworks. And that right there is a simple lesson: if you’re shooting off illegal fireworks, you could badly injure an innocent bystander.
AUDIO: Your neighbors may be having a cookout or a party in the backyard, and some of that stuff may be dropping on them personally while they’re out trying to have a good time in their own yard. They may have a swimming pool in the backyard, and they’re out having a good time in their swimming pool, and the remnants of this stuff’s dropping in their swimming pool potentially doing damage to it; potentially landing on one of their kids.
And even if you are using legal sparklers, full adult supervision is needed, because they ARE dangerous.
AUDIO: (If) your child touches themselves with it or another child, they’re going to get burned. Even worse so, they are a piece of steel rod. So you have small children running around playing with these, and they fall down, where’s that rod going to go?
It needs to be remembered that sparklers can burn at temperatures in the range of 1500 to 1800 degrees.
